Southampton Itchen Labour Party has selected the current deputy leader of the council and Bitterne Park resident Cllr Darren Paffey to fight for the seat currently held by Royston Smith at the next general election.

Paffey, pictured above, has been a local councillor for ten years, formerly for Peartree ward and currently representing Bargate.

He is the council’s cabinet member for children and learning.

He said: “It’s simply fantastic to have been selected to fight my home seat of Itchen at the next general election and I thank all of the members for the trust that they have placed in me. Southampton Itchen is my home. It’s an amazing place, but it has been let down badly by this current government and needs better representation from its parliamentary candidate.”

The next general election isn’t due until January 2025, although it could be called sooner.

“Whenever it comes, I want to demonstrate that Labour can be the voice for Itchen on the national stage,” said Paffey.

Conservative Royston Smith, left, held the Southampton Itchen seat at the December 2019 general election, beating Labour’s Simon Letts with an increased majority of 6,498. At the 2017 election Smith’s majority over Labour had been just 31.

Labour has selected council leader Cllr Satvir Kaur as their parliamentary candidate for the Southampton Test constituency.

So incredibly proud and happy @darrenpaffey has been selected today as Itchen’s parliamentary candidate!

We’re already delivering locally and I look forward to working closely with him to deliver nationally as well, returning TWO Labour MPs from Southampton back to Parliament ? pic.twitter.com/7EGFtu3M7X

— Satvir Kaur (@LabourSatvir) August 7, 2022